The Initiators Fellowship: A Unique Leadership Opportunity for Enterprising Women
Breakfast Club Webinars
Overview
The Initiators Fellowship: A Unique Leadership Opportunity for Enterprising Women
Was Held Wed., May 12th at 8:30 am CST
We hosted Program manager, Chris Fastner, and Initiator Fellows Anne O’Keefe-Jackson, Erin Schutte Wadzinski and Rachel Stone for a conversation about this opportunity that supports and raises-up rural women looking to lead and create purpose-driven businesses in Greater Minnesota.
The Initiators Fellowship is a two-year suite of supports provided to promising early-stage social entrepreneur-leaders in southwest, central, west central, and northwest Minnesota. This partnership among four Minnesota Initiative Foundations is grounded in a belief in the power of purpose-driven individuals to catalyze change in their communities and across Greater Minnesota. The supports provided to selected Fellows include: an annual $30,000 stipend and $3,000 training fund, expert leadership and business training, executive mentorship and coaching, door-opening and network-building. Applications will be accepted beginning May 24th for 2022-2023 cohort of eight Fellows.
We are very fortunate in MN to have the Initiative Foundations!
Chris Fastner
Program Manager
Chris Fastner is program manager for the Initiators Fellowship – a program of the Initiative Foundation in Little Falls in partnership with three other Minnesota Initiative Foundations: the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Southwest Initiative Foundation and the West Central Initiative. He grew up in the Twin Cities suburbs but, having lived in Ely and Aitkin for the past 23+ years, has become a small-town guy. In his sixteen year tenure with the Initiative Foundation he has managed a variety of programs including a youth philanthropy program, the Foundation’s multi-member AmeriCorps VISTA project, numerous nonprofit capacity-building programs, and now the Fellowship. Prior to working at the Initiative Foundation, Chris worked for YMCAs in Brainerd, Ely, and White Bear Lake. Of all the jobs he’s held the one he’s most proud of was “program director” for his two daughters when he spent several years in the early 2000s as a stay-at-home dad.
Erin Schutte Wadzinski
Immigration lawyer
Erin Schutte Wadzinski is a Worthington, Minnesota native and home-comer. She attended college and law school on the East Coast but returned to her hometown in 2018 to begin her career in immigration law. With support from the Initiators Fellowship, Erin opened Kivu Immigration Law PLLC in downtown Worthington. She represents non-citizens in Immigration Court and assists individuals and families with asylum, family-based petitions, green card applications, naturalization and citizenship, and other immigration-related legal needs. Before this current work, Erin served as a staff attorney for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. Erin also served as the Director of the Yale Young Global Scholars Program, where she advocated for greater access to higher education and academic enrichment opportunities for low-income and underrepresented high school students. She also worked at the US Department of State in Washington, DC and at the United Nations in New York City.
Rachel Stone
Founder of P's & Q's Etiquette
Rachel Stone wears many hats as the Founder of the nonprofit, P’s & Q’s Etiquette, a leadership and empowerment program for underserved youth serving the Moorhead-Fargo-West Fargo area. While working for both Fargo and Moorhead Public Schools for several years, she identified many needs specifically around disadvantaged and students of color so she set out to be part of the solution. In addition to running P’s and Q’s, Rachel is a motivational speaker inspiring others to dream big and live with purpose, a member of the Moorhead School Board, and a recognized community leader. Rachel lives to serve her community.
Anne O'Keefe-Jackson
Human Resources Director
Anne O’Keefe-Jackson is an enrolled member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community. In addition to being a 2020-2021 Initiators Fellow, she is also the Human Resources Director for Jackpot Junction Casino. She lives with her husband, three children and three dogs on her reservation in Morton, MN. She received her undergraduate degree in marketing and American Indian studies from Augsburg College and her masters’ in business and leadership from Augsburg University. Anne currently serves on the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Board, is an artist and advocate of the arts. Her Fellowship project is Mni Sota Arts – a traditional arts mobile resource center.
Resources and Recording from the Webinar
Introductions of Presenters: Video Link
First Question: What does “rural renaissance” look like to you? (This is the ultimate aim of the Fellowship) Video Link
Second Question: What is social enterprise and how does it contribute to rural renewal in a different way than conventional business? Video Link
Third Question: What unique strengths can/do rural women bring to efforts to renew Greater Minnesota communities? Video Link
Audience Q&A. Video Link
Closing: Video Link
Full Playlist for the Webinar
All 100 Rural Women’s Webinar recordings are on our YouTube channel
Initiator Fellowship Program Page: https://greaterminnesota.net/fellows/?fbclid=IwAR37fPc-BZ1av5jD-97OfdT-HdKTpPy7I29Qe6D4xg05tdXhidpCTJoLpCA
Are you a fit for the Fellowship? Sign up for a May 18 informational webinar or complete the eligibility quiz.